Re: What do you think of this Corvette Central exhaust that arrived? (photos)
Bob,
Can you center the front pipe in the cross-member hole? With it bolted to the exhaust manifold, it may need some gentle persuasion with a floor jack and/or crowbar to bend it just right.
Once the front pipe is centered, I slipped the rear pipe into it while supporting the pipe with a floor jack where it passes under the differential. This allowed me to loosely attach the rear hanger at the muffler. Now use the jack to raise/lower the rear pipe to the height you want, which involves allowing the slip joint to rotate a bit. I found that a combination of moving the pipe forward/backward and rotating at the slip joint, raising/lowering the floor jack at the differential, and adjusting the muffler hanger allowed the pipes to align pretty closely. Adjusting the muffler hanger up/down and left/right allowed precise centering of the exhaust tip with the valance. This method should work for you if the pipes are bent properly.
I didn't use a torque wrench but the clamps for the slip joint are tightened much more than 13-17 lb-ft. At first I just snugged them, then tightened until no exhaust leaked. I used a bit of Permatex Muffler & Tailpipe Sealer as a lubricant for assembly and to help seal the joint. It's hard to tell with all of the noise while the engine is running, but there may still be a small leak. I plan to do a second smoke test to check.
EDIT: If the pipes won't fit properly, it may be easier and better to have a local shop tweak them to perfection, rather than ship them back to CC.
Bob,
Can you center the front pipe in the cross-member hole? With it bolted to the exhaust manifold, it may need some gentle persuasion with a floor jack and/or crowbar to bend it just right.
Once the front pipe is centered, I slipped the rear pipe into it while supporting the pipe with a floor jack where it passes under the differential. This allowed me to loosely attach the rear hanger at the muffler. Now use the jack to raise/lower the rear pipe to the height you want, which involves allowing the slip joint to rotate a bit. I found that a combination of moving the pipe forward/backward and rotating at the slip joint, raising/lowering the floor jack at the differential, and adjusting the muffler hanger allowed the pipes to align pretty closely. Adjusting the muffler hanger up/down and left/right allowed precise centering of the exhaust tip with the valance. This method should work for you if the pipes are bent properly.
I didn't use a torque wrench but the clamps for the slip joint are tightened much more than 13-17 lb-ft. At first I just snugged them, then tightened until no exhaust leaked. I used a bit of Permatex Muffler & Tailpipe Sealer as a lubricant for assembly and to help seal the joint. It's hard to tell with all of the noise while the engine is running, but there may still be a small leak. I plan to do a second smoke test to check.
EDIT: If the pipes won't fit properly, it may be easier and better to have a local shop tweak them to perfection, rather than ship them back to CC.
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